Who Are You Calling Invasive?

June 19, 2020

At a Club 20 natural resources committee meeting some years ago, members were discussing a resolution seeking to stop the spread of non-native invasive species, like tamarisk. One member, only half-joking, asked if we could add Californians to the list, arguing that they had just as much negative impact on the natural habitat as any […]

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The Cure is Worse Than the Ailment

June 12, 2020

It is fashionable for pundits to quote the old adage, “the cure is worse than the ailment,” referring to the imposition of martial law, under the guise of public health. Many Americans now think even coronavirus may hurt the country less profoundly than lockdowns, quarantines, mandatory business closures, decreeing who is essential and who is […]

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Restoring What Never Was

June 5, 2020

One of the great objectives of conservation is to restore a more natural condition to our environment, to erase the ravages of mankind’s mistakes, and put things back the way they were. I am a strong advocate for environmental restoration, and am proud of my participation in many such efforts over the years. Once in […]

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How Long is Forever?

May 29, 2020

Summit County is in the process of rescinding a 25-year-old conservation easement to pave the way for a housing development, a move opposed by land trusts across the State. Technically, that means the county will condemn the easement, just as it might condemn a piece of property needed for a road. The commissioners claim this […]

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Spotting the Spotted Owl

May 22, 2020

When the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of the dusky gopher frog in 2018, it attracted press coverage around the world, because of two details that fascinated observers everywhere. One was the frog itself, a cute little thing smaller than the palm of your hand. Second, the court’s ruling – in an era noted […]

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The (Supply) Chain of Fools

April 10, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has focused considerable attention on the supply chain for medical machinery, pharmaceuticals, and personal protective equipment like hospital gowns, masks, and gloves. Most Americans previously had little notion of how dependent the U.S. economy was on China and other overseas suppliers for items that are so indispensable to essential health care. They […]

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Can Everybody Play?

April 3, 2020

The State of Wyoming is considering the purchase of a vast swath of land along the Union Pacific Railroad corridor, including over a million acres of surface and four million acres of mineral rights. The valuable resource is now owned by Occidental Petroleum, since its 2019 merger with Anadarko. The land, if purchased, would be […]

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None of Our Business – Yet

March 27, 2020

Coloradans who pay close attention to western water issues have monitored California’s internal water wars for years. Leaders there have worked for decades to address long-term water shortages for farms in the San Juaquin Valley, while their giant metropolitan cities continue to grow, and while trying to leave as much water in the rivers as […]

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Where Did the Water Go?

March 6, 2020

Colorado River managers have struggled most of my life to administer interstate agreements in the face of dwindling flows. It was a perennial issue long before anyone heard of global warming, yet we’re now told that is why the river has less water than it used to. Two career U.S. Geological Survey bureaucrats have published […]

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Planting Trees For Our Descendents

February 28, 2020

“Johnny Appleseed” was a legend by the time he died around 1845. The pioneer nurseryman introduced apple trees across a vast swath of the Midwest, and is revered as one of the earliest leaders of the fledgling conservation movement. Planting trees has been a noble pursuit for centuries, with heroes like him as role models. […]

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